Welcome to the world, Trey!!!

Our friends Stephanie and Daniel had a baby this past Thursday (July 27). He's their third child and first boy. His full name is Daniel Wilson McSpadden III, but they're calling him "Trey" because it means "three." Isn't he cute?? Congrats to Stephanie and Daniel and big sisters, Megan and Lily!!!

The McSpaddens are friends of ours from Lexington. They were in our small group at Christ Church.

Happy Adoption Day, Woody!!!

Two years ago today, Woody became an official member of the Money family. He has brought so much joy and love into our lives; we know he was a gift from God.

The story: Our friend Mike was visiting from Virginia, and on Sunday July 18 we drove him out to Versailles to a railroad museum. On the way back to Lexington, we saw a sign for the Woodford Humane Society. Someone (either James or Mike) said, "wanna go look at dogs?" We decided to stop at WHS. James and I knew we wanted a dog, but were planning on waiting until fall to adopt one. However, we felt it couldn't hurt to "just look around." We went around the kennel, looking at dogs. There was a male lab mix in a corner cage. We took a second look at him, and while we were doing so, a staff member started talking to us. We told her what kind of dog we wanted: medium-large sized, over 1 year old, intelligent, and quiet. She pointed to the Lab mix we were looking at and said, "Woody is the perfect dog for you! He's 4 years old, well-trained, and hasn't barked in the month that he's been here!" We agreed to take him on a walk, since he did seem kinda cute. At one point, he looked up at me, and I fell in love. James liked him, too. However, we didn't want to make a spur of the moment decision and weren't sure that we were ready for a dog yet. So we left, planning to think it over.

James and I talked, and decided that we should probably wait until fall to adopt a dog. We had just moved a month ago, and had some bills to pay. It would cost a lot to buy dog food, toys, a bed, and other supplies. Still, I couldn't help but think of poor Woody alone in that kennel...On Monday July 19, James turned to me in bed and said, "you really like Woody, don't you." I said yes, but that I understood we had to wait before getting a dog.

On Tuesday afternoon, James called me on my cell phone as I was running errands and told me to come home. When I opened the door, a furry black thing rushed at me. It was Woody! James had gone out to Versailles that morning and adopted Woody as a surprise for me. It was my anniversary and birthday present rolled into one. Don't I have a great husband??

Woody and Daddy

Woody and "Dr. Daddy" at James' graduation party this spring.

Woody and Mommy

Woody and Patti on her last day of seminary in May 2005!

Woody swimming

Woody swimming at the "Pool Party for Pooches" last year! He's a great swimmer!

I'm famous!!

On Tuesday, I went to a lunch gathering of area clergywomen. We had lots of fun. There was a report there from the Danville Register Bee, which is the local daily newspaper. Guess who was on the front page today (Sunday)? Yours truly, along with seven other female pastors! Click on the title of this post (it's a link) to see the article.

Third Sunday went very well. Now I just need to spend enough time on sermon prep early in the week so I'm not finishing my sermon on Saturday evening.

We now have the bedroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen unpacked and looking lovely. Now we can tackle the office and "TV room" (which we hope will become a nursery/kid's bedroom at some point).

We're Virginians Again!!!

Since today was my day off, James and I decided to go to the DMV and get our licenses, title, and registration changed over from KY. We arrived at 10:11 am. Two and a half hours later (12:45 pm) we left the DMV as legal residents of Virginia. We had some snafus when we FINALLY got to a customer service window. We were both still in the system, and at first the computer wanted us to take the written test again...because our licenses had "expired." That got straightened out quickly (since we surrendered our valid KY licenses). Then they wanted to see our marriage license...since I was in the system under my maiden name. Never mind that I had a passport, Social Security card, and license in my married name. (: That got fixed as well. We are now "legal", with VA license plates to boot!

This afternoon/evening we began unpacking boxes. We got the bedroom finished, and are amazed at how big it is. Tomorrow we're tackling the living and dining rooms. Hopefully this week I'll be able to finish the office. Then the fun task of decorating comes. Good thing I have my very own Personal Decorating Consultant on retainer (a.k.a Mom the retired interior decorator)!

When I am weakest, then I am strongest...

By the grace of God, I survived my second Sunday and my second week as "Pastor Patti". Actually, most people call me "Patti", which is fine. A few people call me "Pastor Patti", which is about as formal as I want to get.

I continue to feel that this congregation and I are a very good match. Actually, any pastor should feel blessed to serve St. John's. The people have a real, genuine faith that is lived out and evident in their daily lives. They have a strong desire to reach out to the community. For example, we're holding VBS (Vacation Bible School) this week, even though we don't have any young children in the congregation. The youth group (which is tiny) and various other members have been knocking on doors and inviting kids to VBS! We had five kids tonight, and more may come tomorrow.

They're still saying nice stuff about me, and providing concrete examples of how the service or a part of a sermon touched them. That tells me that they're not just saying stuff to be nice. And my most honest critic (James) is giving me positive feedback, also. If you know James, you KNOW that he doesn't sugarcoat stuff. He doesn't have that ability, and I love him for it.

We are slowly...very slowly...getting settled into the parsonage. We're both working full-time now, and James is only here on the weekends. So I try and get done what I can in the evenings. I finally found the bag of little things to hold the shelves up, so now I can start loading the bookcases with my books. That should take care of 20 boxes or so!

Happy Birthday, Alade Tokuta!

He's not as famous or as old as "W"...but he still has a birthday today, July 7. Birthday wishes go out to Dr. Alade Tokuta, chair of the Math & Computer Science Department at NCCU. Yes, he is James' boss. :)

I'm off to Durham this morning to get some more stuff from the apartment and then meet James at NCCU for err...SOMETHING at 1:00 p.m. Then we head back to Danville, because tonight we have the orientation for new clergy on the district.

Tomorrow I have to finish up my sermon...producing something wonderful every week is TOUGH!

Guess who's 60 today???

That's right! Today, July 6, is President Bush's 60th birthday.

Happy Birthday, "W"!


It's funny...15 years or so ago, 60 seemed really old. However, now that both my parents have passed the 6-0 mark (and my dad will hit 70 in September!), 60 doesn't seem old anymore. In fact, it actually seems somewhat young.

My First Sunday: I Survived It!

Thank you Lord, for getting me through my first Sunday!

I was a tad nervous this morning, realizing that: a) I would be meeting most of my congregants for the first time, b) that I would be celebrating Communion for the first time. and c) that I would be preaching for only the 15th time or so. I hadn't realized just how many details go into planning a corporate (i.e. group) worship service, especially one with Communion.

However, everything went fairly smoothly. I kept forgetting what was happening next, and kept glancing back at the bulletin (that I had typed, no less) to jog my memory. The pulpit is a few inches too high for me, so for most of the sermon I sort of "hung out" on the right or left side.

One of the funniest/awkward moments came when I began to prepare the Communion elements. I removed the cloths covering them and discovered...Saran Wrap. Yes, our very practical Communion Steward had covered the juice and bread with plastic wrap. Makes sense, actually, since she had probably set everything up last night. The plastic wrap kept out bugs and prevented stains. However, it took a few extra minutes for me to remove the plastic wrap. Next month I'll know to remove it before the service. :)

My congregation is small; about 50-60 people were in worship this Sunday. However, they clearly love the Lord with all their hearts. And many of them already love their pastor; I received about 10 hugs! They were very gracious and welcoming toward me and James. And several people asked how Woody was doing, too!

Now that I have a full week to prepare for next Sunday, I should feel more "in control". Maybe by mid-week I will have had time to unpack my books, too!